AppleShy: Ailing Tree
by floofcake
Summary: ApplejackXFluttershy. Applejack and Fluttershy's fates intertwine when the first sonic rainboom occurs. Flutterhshy finds herself unable to leave Ponyville and Applejack offers her a place to stay.
1. Chapter 1: Falling Angel

Plummeting. Descending. Crashing. There were many words for what Fluttershy did after she got bumped off of Cloudsdale by the whir of racing fillies, but none of them was flying. She screeched as masses of clouds tore past her and her flowing mane whizzed around her in an erratic flurry. Her eyes were stretched wide and her wings frozen, paralyzed by cowardice. She assumed she was to die that very moment. She assumed her body would splat on the ground below and her blonde fur would be stained red. She imagined Rainbowdash attending her funeral and her body being shot out a cannon with fireworks. Fluttershy, however, was interrupted from these images when she landed upon a bed of… something. They were small, colorful insects with wings and two antennae and, somehow, carried the young filly across the ground she almost splattered on.

At first, she was dumbfounded. She was certain this was her last day in Equestria. She already planned her funeral as she fell, after all. She began to overcome her confusion and soon the pegasus's heart was filled with wonder and awe. She'd never seen creatures such as these. The only animals in Cloudsdale were birds. She lifted herself off the strange winged beings to observe them and flew along beside them. She noticed that there were other animals around too; Buck-toothed things and fluffy packages of adorableness, birds of all sorts of colors and green water hoppers! The animals surrounded her, they were not afraid, and scurried around her in a sort of dance. This, though, came to a halt when a sounding BOOM resonated. The animals dashed off in all directions and hid.

Fluttershy only stopped a moment to wonder what that explosion was. She felt a surge of distress for the poor animals. She flew to their hiding places in the nooks and crannies of the meadow. She lured them out with her gentle, warm voice and they set beside her once more. It was at this moment Fluttershy earned her cutie mark, three butterflies.

As Applejack gazed at the rainbow that pointed to her family's orchard, she felt a desperate pang of melancholy. She missed her home so much, but had been pushing away the feeling to be accepted by the Manehattanites. She only realized how much she yearned for her ancestors' home when she saw that rainbow. Memories of her life on the orchard came flooding back into her mind and tears formed in her green orbs, causing them to glimmer like brilliant emeralds. She knew at that moment truly where she belonged, the Apple Family Apple Orchard.

She immediately began to stuff her things in the makeshift satchel she originally brought from Ponyville. As she did this, she happened to glance at herself in the nearby vanity. Her amber mane was tied up in a crown bun with only her straight bangs out. She frowned at her reflection and shook out the dumb hairstyle. It wasn't her. This life wasn't her. She needed to go home. She slung her bag over her back and trotted down the tall spiraling staircase to the family room in which the Oranges presided. She told them all the things she had been keeping locked inside her brain and by the time she was finished, she was out of breath. The Oranges seemed to understand, though they seemed a little disappointed. They probably were thinking 'once a farmer, always a farmer' in their heads, but Applejack didn't care. They could make all the assumptions they wanted about her and her family. All that mattered was how they thought about themselves.

The tangerine filly made her way out the door and down the streets of Manehatten. Soon enough, she reached a metal sign reading 'you are now leaving Manehatten'. Good riddance, she jested to herself.

A storm brewed overhead, the mounds of gray clouds morphing into a dark coal shade. The wind began to pick up, as well, and blew the trees around in furor. The timid filly only realized a storm was above her head when it began to rain. The rose mane of Fluttershy was tossed around and covered her face like a mask. Worry began to fill her mind as she wondered how she could get back to Cloudsdale- and if she wanted to go back. She thought about her parents and how panicked they would be, but it would be almost impossible for a weak flyer like her to get back home in that weather. She felt distressed and didn't know what to do. She felt tears well up in her eyes. Would she ever be able to get home?

Applejack's tied mane was soaking wet and tossed around like a tetherball. The only way to get back home from Manehatten was to go through a lightly forested field. It lied near the Everfree Forest, but was nowhere near as wild and unnatural. It was controlled by ponies like it aught to be. As Applejack made her way through the mead, she noticed the distinct sound of a pony crying. At first she rationalized it was only the gale, but as she drew nearer to the source, she realized it was what she originally suspected. The freckled earth pony viewed it to be very odd that anypony would be out in this weather, crying nonetheless.

Applejack called out to the mysterious pony, "Hey! Are you okay, ma'am?" An audible squeak came from a nearby berry bush, followed by a quiet sneeze. Applejack ventured further toward the place the pony seemed to be. She pushed the shrubbery aside. Behind the leaves was a small, gangly pegasus with a muddy, leaflet covered pelt and matted amaranth shag of hair. "Oh, sugarcube!" Applejack exclaimed, "Let me get you inside." The filthy mare looked up, tears spilling out from her mint eyes. "You look like you've been to hell and back. What happened to you?"

She sneezed again and answered in an exhausted slur, "I…I was, um, fall…ing…" Her eyes closed as if speaking wore her out.

Applejack came around and helped her up. "C'mon." she said. Applejack walked her all the way back to her house like this. Once they arrived, the long-traveled pony sat the weary filly on the ground. She could hardly keep her eyes open. Applejack set about to pick out the twigs, leaves, and mud blots from her mane, and once that was finished, went to the closet and pulled out a nice fluffy towel. She sat down beside the wet pony and began to dry her dripping coat. Applejack patted the pegasus with the towel, stroking the gold fur on her body and the blushing hair on her head. She realized after a while that the strange filly had fallen asleep by her closed eyes and slow breaths. Applejack didn't want to leave her on the ground. She thought about waking Big Mac up, but decided that it wasn't a very good idea. He's had to work twice as hard since she travelled to Manehatten. He needed his sleep. She sighed and lifted one of the mare's hooves and heaved it across her shoulder blade. She moved the rest of her limp frame over her back and carried her up the stairs. The delicate pony was heavier than Applejack thought she would be, considering the pegasus's slight figure. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle, though. Applejack padded into her room and set the stranger on her bed. The little filly's eyelashes, long as spider legs, gazed across her cheeks and her soft lips were parted gently. Her elongated locks sprawled around her in a cloak of dawn pink. She's… quite a looker… isn't she, Applejack supposed. She felt her face begin to flush and tip-toed out the door. Tonight she would sleep on the couch. Once she reached the first floor and retired to the sofa, three bright red apples appeared on her side.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to the Apple Family

Through the transparent drapes peered Celestia's broken dawn, the sun's rays of light traveling from the window, across the old wooden floorboards that have been there since Granny Smith's days as a filly, and directly in Fluttershy's eyes. She blinked them open softly, her body just beginning to wake. Her muscles ached like she flew sixty miles and her brain felt foggy. When she came to, however, all of that was forgotten and replaced with a terrifying mix of horror and bafflement. This was not her bed. This was not her room. Hell, this wasn't even her hometown. Fluttershy rushed into a full-blown anxiety attack, her hooves shaking independently and gallons of sweat dripping down her forehead. Where was she? How did she get here? And… and when did she get her cutie mark? Then she remembered. The fall. The animals. The storm. The kind mare that took her in. Fluttershy, though, still was puzzled as to how she had gotten into the bed. Did she carry me up here, she wondered mortified. She felt so bad about it. The mare didn't have to do that, or any of it, for that matter. The mare didn't even know her name, yet she was compassionate enough to do so anyways. Fluttershy decided the first moment she saw her, she would thank her, apologize, and leave. It was, of course, rude to overstay your welcome. This brought Fluttershy to another enigma; should she stay here on the ground? Fluttershy had never felt like she belonged anywhere. She was always the outcast among the other foals and she definitely did not have the knack for flight. There on the ground, though, she felt free. It felt like all the mismatched puzzle pieces all the sudden fit together perfectly. That must be why she had gotten her cutie mark. How ever could she leave?

Then, of course, there was the issue of flight school. Her parents paid good money to get her into it so that she would improve as a flier. Dropping out… would just be cruel and would disappoint her parents. Fluttershy's head felt like a drawer of mismatched socks, vexed and fretful. I can't deal with this now, she told herself, we can deal with this once we leave. She rose out of bed and stretched her legs, reveling in the extension of her muscles. She flipped her head back around and noticed the mess she made of the sheets. I suppose I should fix that, she thought.

Applejack woke up early. Way earlier than usual. In the Apple house, Applejack fixed all the meals for everyone. It used to be her grandmother's responsibility, but after she had that great fall a few years back, she hasn't been able to do much. She also used to do the house and business work, such as washing the dishes and selling the apples on the market, but she can't do that anymore, so its Applejack's responsibility. Now, however, she has a fourth person to feed. And she's a guest. So Applejack has to work twice as hard to show her Ponyville hospitality. Their small town already has quite a bad reputation. All it takes is one rude citizen and suddenly all of Equestria thinks her town is just full of hicks. That's how the oranges described them, anyways. She had to show there was more to them than meets the eye; that the ponies who live in Ponyville are honest, kind folks who help those who need it.

Applejack moved around the kitchen in a flurry. She had so many things to do. On the stove were some potato apple cheddar pancakes, apple jack flapjacks (her personal favorite), and apple cornmeal fritters. In the oven was a loaf of carrot zucchini apple bread, apple French toast, and whole-wheat apple crumb muffins. In the blender was a smooth mix of four apples, three cups of apple juice, one cup of strawberries, and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Applejack cut away on the cutting board, attempting to make a fruit salad. She didn't know how or what this pony ate, so she just decided to make all the breakfast things she could think of. Granny Smith hobbles in, her silver, wiry hair sticking out in all directions and her wrinkled eyes drooped sheepishly.

"Allo, Apple. You're back already." She mumbled, "What'cha makin'?"

Apple jack held a fuji apple still with her hoof on the cutting board and sliced away at it, making sure not to graze herself with the knife. "Well, I'm fixin' some breads in the oven, as well as some muffins, and on the stove I'm cookin' fritters, apple jack flapjacks, and, uh, pancakes with cheddar an potato an apples."

A baffled expression crossed the old mare's face as she asked, "An that in the blender?"

Applejack whipped her head around to see what she was talking about, then replied, "Oh, that's just a smoothie."

"Dear," Granny Smith questioned gently, "Why you makin' so much stuff? Is it to celebrate your day back? 'Cause Big Mac an I can't eat all that."

"Eeup." Big Mac entered the kitchen, his eyes wide as saucers staring at the banquet of food laid out before him. He looked from the food to Applejack, and again back at the food.

"Well, Granny… an Macintosh," Applejack paused from chopping the fruit, "I… I… As I was comin' back home, I ran into this poor pegasus in the forest. It was rainin' and all, so I took her in and let her stay the night."

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" asked Granny Smith.

Applejack nodded. "She was just a filly. My age, I think." She sighed and confessed, "I wanted to show a foreigner what Ponyvillagers were really like. That's why I made all this food."

Granny Smith approached the tangerine foal and asked with concern, "What happened in Manehatten, sweetie?"

"Well, I-"

The sound of gentle footsteps interrupted Applejack. A cream colored pony walked into the kitchen, an uneasy look on her face. Her cheeks burned a bright crimson, as if she were deeply ashamed. "Uh… uh… hello…" she squeaked.

If there was a serious discussion going on a moment ago, Granny Smith acted as if it never happened and she padded over to the little pegasus and smiled. "Why, you must be the stranger Applejack found. How are you feelin'?"

"O-oh, uh, I'm… okay…" She murmured. She stood awkwardly and scuffled her hooves over the floor.

Granny Smith smirked. "I didn't catch your name, dear."

"Um… I'm Flutter…. shy." She was barely audible, even in such a small room where there was very little room for the sound to travel too far. Granny Smith laughed at this and patted the timid filly on the back. Applejack turned off the stove and pulled out the goodies in the oven. She laid out a variety of ceramic plates and bowls on the kitchen's island, which she now used to hold all the food she had made.

Applejack announced to the other ponies, "Y'all can serve yourselves!" Granny Smith and Big Mac exchanged a troubled glance, but did not say anything. Instead, they picked up a plate and got a couple of things from each serving dish. Meanwhile, Fluttershy stood at the corner of the room staring uneasily at her cream hooves. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. She didn't know if "y'all" included her. She felt like an outsider in this house, not to mention this land. She was so very far away from her home, her family, and her friend, Rainbowdash. Even so, she felt in much better spirits here than she ever did in Cloudsdale. Applejack noticed Fluttershy, who was not getting herself breakfast, standing in the corner staring off into space. She padded over to her and waved a hoof in front of her face.

"You okay, darlin'? I made breakfast for you. I sure would appreciate it if you'd try some, even the smallest bit." Applejack leered at her and teased, "Little thing like gotta put some meat on your bones." Fluttershy blushed and nodded. She went over to the island, grabbed a plate, and served herself a muffin and a glass of the smoothie. The other Apples already sat at the table and were devouring their feasts. The meek filly shrinked over as she brought her food to the table and sat down. She took a nibble of her muffin and, as she did, her eyes opened wide.

She turned to Applejack, who was now serving herself the food she made,

and said in awe, "This may be the best muffin I've ever had." The tangerine pony smiled wide and thanked her. She sat at the table and began to eat, as well.

She turned to Fluttershy and asked, "So what brought you to Ponyville?"

"Well… I… um," the pegasus felt her cheeks start to burn and she mumbled, "I kinda fell…"

All of the Apples looked to Fluttershy with great concern. Granny Smith, a confounded expression on her face, asked her, "How'd you do that? You can fly, can't you?"

She nibbled some more of her muffin and spoke, "Not very well." She gulped it down and finished, "But I'm very happy I was able to come here."

"Why is that?" questioned Applejack.

"Well," Fluttershy began, "I never really fit in where I lived and… ever since I came her, it just has felt right."

Applejack grinned. "Happy to hear it." Fluttershy smiled back. She felt like she could trust these ponies. They had a presence about them that made her want to tell them more.

The cerulean-eyed pony continued, "I… actually have been thinking about staying here… on the ground. I just can't bring myself to leave." The earth pony's smile softened. She looked over at her grandmother, who smiled back and nodded, and then looked back at Fluttershy.

"If you want, " Applejack felt her face flush a bit, but continued anyway. "You can stay here with us."

A concerned look crossed Fluttershy's face and she replied, "Oh, no. I couldn't impose on you like that. I don't want to be a bother."

Applejack shook her head. "No, no. It's fine. We would be pleased to have you."

"But… but…" Fluttershy looked over to Granny Smith worry and asked, "Is this alright with you?"

She shrugged. "It isn't my decision to make. I'm not the head of this household."

"That's right. I'm the one who keeps everypony in line. Isn't that right, Big Macintosh?" Applejack turned towards her older brother, attempting to get a response out of the quiet colt.

Unfortunately, he only uttered, "Eeup."

"If I do stay here, how could I ever pay you back for your kindness?" Fluttershy inquired.

"Work on the orchird, of course!" the filly beamed, causing the freckles on her face to dance. "We're in the season where it's quite tough to grow much and we need all the help we can get. Really, you'd be doing more of a service to us."

Fluttershy glanced at each of the ponies at the table and sighed, "Well… i-if you insist…" All the Apples cheered in triumph and toasted to Fluttershy. She was so embarrassed she thought she might burst.


	3. Chapter 3: Buckin' Apples

The apple tree's leaflets winked stars of light as a breeze blew them ever so slightly back and forth. They gleamed a vivid jade in the sunlight, casting a shadow on the ground below that mimicked the same color. The apples too appeared to shimmer lightly and their succulent reds and greens hung from the trees just waiting to be booted down. Applejack swung her strong, muscular legs up into the air and, with a mighty force, threw her hooves against the trunk. The apples that dangled from the tree descended down and Applejack caught them in a wooden basket adeptly.

"And that is how you buck apples." Applejack said with a small smirk. She was proud of her hoofwork and wasn't afraid of a little healthy boasting. Fluttershy stood nearby, eyes wide with amazement. She'd never seen anything like it.

She lauded, "I'm impressed. I'm not sure I can do it, though."

Applejack chuckled and gave her a pat on the back. "Sure you can! Let me help you…" Applejack walked around the blonde pegasus and told her, "Turn around." Fluttershy did and Applejack continued, "Now, lift your back hooves in the air." Fluttershy half-heartedly kicked her limbs up and made a little squeak.

"Li-like this?" she asked tentatively.

Applejack shook her head and corrected, "No, not like that. Get 'em both up at the same time and kick hard. Real hard." Fluttershy tried again, but was no better. Applejack sighed and said gently, "Let me help you." Applejack moved over so that she was parallel to Fluttershy's body and put one hoof on her chest and the other, she swung underneath Fluttershy's frame, grabbing both her back legs. The slender pony squeaked again, her face blooming a deep crimson.

"W-what are you doing?" she squealed in alarm.

"Helpin' you with your buckin'." The platinum maned earth pony instructed, "Now kick." Fluttershy tried doing another kick, but instead of just having one limb in the air and the other on the ground, both came up. She felt her front hooves start to shake from lack of strength, but Applejack's supporting hoof on her chest kept her stable. "Now launch your feet out, Flutterhshy!" Applejack commanded. With a tiny yelp, Fluttershy flung her hooves at the tree, triggering the fall of five shiny red apples.

"Eep!" she squeaked, even though she was smiling with delight. The first apples she's ever bucked. She'll remember this forever.

Applejack grinned proudly and congratulated, "Good job, Shy!"

The buttercup pony turned her head towards Applejack. "Shy?" she said.

"It's a nickname. That's okay, right?" The freckled pony asked. Fluttershy nodded and smiled. Applejack smiled back. This lasted a few seconds, but the two mares suddenly got embarrassed. They blushed and turned away. "I, uh, am gonna go over here. You can handle this by yourself, can't you?" Applejack said as she started to turn around and head toward a patch of apple trees.

"Oh, uhm yeah! I mean, yes. Yes, I can." Fluttershy's blush deepened and she tried to hide it with her hair. She peeked out from her mane and saw Applejack bucking away at the trees. She couldn't help thinking about how strong the coral pony's legs were. As she bucked, Applejack's muscles flexed and bulged out, displaying the strength of her legs. What am I doing, Fluttershy mentally yelled at herself. She turned away from Applejack's toned limbs and started kicking with her own delicate, much-less-toned limbs.

Big Mac stared longing at the mystifying young mare named Fluttershy. Her flowing locks the color of rose petals draped across her shoulder made the stallion sigh with ardor. He's never met such a lady-like mare in all of Ponyville. She was so dainty and sweet. There was just something about her that made him want to take care of her. Alas, the fire-truck-resembling colt was too shy… like the "shy" in Fluttershy's name. He desperately wanted to become close to her, to learn more about her. If only he had more confidence. If only he had more gusto. If only he-

"Big Macintosh!" roared Applejack, "You better get back to work or, I swear, I'll kick your fat, red ass!" Big Mac sighed and nodded. If only he could defend himself against his sister. He pushed his basket of apples over to a nearby tree, setting it just below a grouping of shiny green apples. He turned around, pictured his sister's face on the tree, and bucked as hard as he could.


End file.
